Have you ever taken a cooking class with your child?  How about a three year old?  Let me tell you it’s a pretty funny experience and totally worthwhile.  We recently went to a Chobani for Champions event where we learned how to incorporate yogurt into our recipes.  I’m used to doing it for baking, but in a main dish I was at a loss.

Introducing, Very Berry Yogurt Chicken!  It’s a sweet dish that is family friendly.  I knew it would be a winner when it included two of the kids favorite snacks~ cucumbers and avocado.  Plus yogurt is involved which is Madison’s favorite food lately…she couldn’t get enough of it!

Here are the instructions for the Very Berry Yogurt.  Don’t miss your chance to win an amazing package of yogurts from Chobani at the bottom of this post!

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 cups of Very Berry Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 English cucumber
1 avocado
8 leaves of basil
1/2 cup raspberries
1 tablespoon canola oil

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add chicken to pan once hot.  Cook until nearly cooked through.
Add cucumber to skillet, cook for 4 minutes.  Add raspberries (which sadly I didn’t have on hand at home.)

Add avocado at the end so it doesn’t turn brown, then the basil.  Lastly, add in the second cup of yogurt so it’s slightly creamy.

Final product! Very Berry Yogurt served in a cute avocado boat!

Now the fun part! One winner will get 2 boxes of Chobani Greek Yogurt delivered to your door.  That 48 cups of yogurt!  Just think how easy it will be to pack for a picnic lunch with these little cups! Did you know Chobani yogurt is hormone free?  I was pleasantly surprised to learn this and it made me very happy. Enjoy some Very Berry, Honey Banana, Chocolate Chunk and Orange Vanilla…which is like a creamsicle in a cup!
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Contest is open until midnight, May 12th.  US Residents only. 

Good luck!

I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!  Disclosure: I attended the Choban
i event and received complimentary products for review. The opinions expressed here are my own, and my 3 year olds. This post is shared with Make It Yourself Monday.

• Plan It, Don’t Panic ~easy, nutritious recipes and meal planning strategies
• Healthy Snacks to Go ~ healthy granola bars, lara bars and more
• One Bite at a Time ~ organizing, one task at a time

Ever start one recipe and then it turns into something else?  Sometimes it’s because we are missing an ingredient, or you are trying to incorporate some healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour.  I often wonder, when does a recipe become your own?  Change two ingredients, not really.  Maybe three or more, sure I think it’s your own recipe.

So here is my recipe for my Carrot Pear Muffins, adapted from Rise & Shine Muffins from The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland.

Ingredients
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups 100% whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or 2 cups white whole wheat flour)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
4 medium carrots, peeled and grated (2 cups)
1 pear, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans chopped
3 large eggs
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
-Place raisins in a small bowl, cover with hot water and set aside to plump.
-In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
-Stir in the carrots, pears and pecans.
-In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla.
-Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture.
-Drain raisins and fold into batter.
-Fill greased or paper lined muffin tin 3/4 full with batter. (I use a a mini muffin tin below and fill with an ice cream scoop.)

-Bake 25 minutes (15 minutes for mini muffins) or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

-Enjoy!

I love to hear your feedback and comments. Stop by and visit Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter for more conversation!  Or get posts delivered via Email or RSS Feed. Thanks!    


Linky love: Melt in Your Mouth Monday, It’s A Keeper, Muffin Monday

Snacks are a lifeline with the little ones in tow.  Cheerios, fruit, apple squeezies and so on.  I don’t walk out the door without a snack sack in the diaper bag.  However, I was getting tired of offering the same old thing so I went searching for a little inspiration.

One of my all time favorite recipes to make is Pumpkin Muffins from Kitchen Stewardship.  I have made them probably 30 times in the past two years since I first found the recipe.  I’ve also been reading Katie’s blog since then and found loads more “green” stories that were new to my world.  I had my eye on her Healthy Snacks to Go e-book for awhile and when the updated version came out, I finally ordered it.

I am a fan of the e-book now as they are easy to download to my Ipad and it allows me to browse through recipes before bed. Yes, that’s right.  I read cookbooks before I go to sleep.  Helps me slow down I guess.  I also have wireless printing so I can print a recipe to try in the morning Since I usually let Madison bake with me, I don’t want the Ipad  anywhere in the vicinity of the kitchen when we get started.

The pumpkin muffin recipe is in there with four different variations I’m excited to test out, including Banana Nut, Banana-Cran, Applesauce Spice and Blueberry.  I do love muffins so expect to see these at a future playgroup date. (You can also follow my Muffin Pinterest board too).  The Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffin recipe is listed below.

Last week we tested out the Butternut Spice Bars.  I wanted something with protein in it as my little guy doesn’t always feel like eating dinner.  A protein rich snack at 4:00 though will rarely be turned down.  The spice bars didn’t disappoint as everyone is giving them a thumbs up.  They don’t crumble so it’s also portable as they passed the church and playground snack bags this week.  Again, there are notes about variations and substitutions so you can use canned pumpkin if you don’t have butternut squash on hand.

The next challenge is to make the power bars, though I may never make them all.  There are 15 variations in this cookbook.  No more spending a $1/bar.  One batch probably costs around a $1 to make and will give you 5-6 bars, or a dozen 1/2-inch balls which I’m curious to serve to the kids.

To order the book, click here to access the Kitchen Stewardship ebook collection. (Full disclosure, I am an affiliate of the book and get a small percentage of the sale if you purchase the book. Thanks!)  The book is currently $8.95 and includes 45 recipes.  Add the book to your cart and you can check out easily with paypal.  You will get an email with the link to download your book.  I download my link to both my laptop and Ipad so I can access it whenever I want it.  You never know when you will need a little snack inspiration for a long road trip.

Happy Snacking!

Honey Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
from Healthy Snacks to Go


Ingredients
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 tablespoon molasses (optional)
1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil (I’ve tried both and they are equally good)
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup can pumpkin (1/2 a can)
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour  (100% w.w. flour or white whole wheat flour both work)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Method
Mix all dry ingredients together, whisk to combine.  Add balance of wet ingredients to large bowl and mix completely.
Pour in greased loaf pan or muffin tin. Bake at 325 degrees:

• Bread = 75-90 minutes
• 12 Muffins = 35 minutes
• 24-30 Mini muffins = 25 minutes
• 24 Muffin Tops = 20 minutes (my own personal add on, they came out great!)

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Current Giveaway: 201 Organic Baby Purees, open till 3/2

this recipe is shared with Real Food Forager, Cultured Mama and Frugally Sustainable.

If you have a baby that loved all the purees you ever gave him and suddenly with the shift to chunkier textures he is super picky, then I feel your pain.  My little guy is almost 13 months and we are in that funny time period where he won’t let you feed him, he is struggling to grasp the idea of a spoon and he wants to try everything we eat.  I’m all for sharing, but lately he is throwing more food off his high chair than eating it.  Oh, and did I mention I’m trying to wean him from nursing?  Let’s just say meal time has not been the most relaxing experience lately.

I got the chance to review the new 201 Organic Baby Pureescookbook by Tamika Gardner, the author behind the Simply Baby Food Recipes blog.  Certainly good timing as we were moving into this transition stage of eating.   Plus I had used a number of her recipes already when we were in the early food stages.  Think Stage 1 and 2 of store bought baby food.

The cookbook is divided into age appropriate recipes, with a push towards a broader flavor offering as the child grows.  One of the cool ideas I liked is the menu plans for little ones.  Sometimes I find it easier to make new recipes when I see the different ways I can reuse later in the week.

The big winner in all the recipes I tested was the Pumpkin Risotto.  It’s noted to be both freezer friendly and parent friendly, both winners in my book.  I LOVE risotto and yet I had never baked it before.  Guess what, it works.  Easier than standing at the stove for a half hour stirring, sort of like when I made risotto in the pressure cooker.  What was even better is that the little guy LOVED his risotto too.  He ate it so fast I nearly forgot to get a picture.  Very little ended up on the floor. 😉

PUMPKIN RISOTTO from 201 Organic Baby Food Purees
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage
1 garlic clove minced
1/4 cup chopped onion (I used red)
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 cups vegetable broth

Risotto ready for the oven

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small skillet, heat olive oil and butter on medium heat.
3. Once butter is melted and mixture is starting to sizzle, add sage and garlic. Saute for about one minute.
4. Transfer herb mixture to a 3 quart casserole.
5. Add remaining ingredients and cover.
6. Bake 1 hour. Stir before serving.

Want a copy of this cookbook?!  Enter for yourself or a friend, this book would make a nice unexpected shower gift for a lucky mom.  Contest will be open until midnight on March 2st., US residents only please.

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